Throughout the past few years, ransomware has grown into a very detrimental threat for businesses all over the world. Cyber criminals are always at work, looking for vulnerabilities that exist on the web. If a hacker spots an opportunity to poke holes into your network, they will seize on that opportunity with a malicious attack.

More times than not, ransomware strikes will be staged in the form of an email. Whether it’s a phishing scam, spam trap, or any other type of malicious attack, you need to make sure you have the right defense mechanisms safeguarding your inbox. If a hacker gets through your inbox, then this paves a clear path for them to compromise all of your hard-earned valuables. That includes things like credit card numbers, passwords, business documents, and any other sensitive information.

To keep your mailbox safe from any external cyber threats, make sure to have a comprehensive security plan in effect. Practicing these cybersecurity methods are surefire ways to keep hackers out of your inbox and away from your network.

Educate Your Employees:

There are multiple types of ransomware and ransomware attacks that you should be aware about. It’s important to know how to recognize them all. What’s even more important is to pass down that knowledge through the rest of your staff. Educate your employees on the different types of ransomware, the effects that they carry, and the best prevention strategies to utilize in the case of an attack.

Apply Spam Filters:

Spam is a very common type of ransomware to be carried in an email. Installing a spam filter is a great way to prevent hackers from entering your network. This special software automatically detects spam symptoms and filters suspicious messages into a “junk” folder. This will prevent those types of suspicious messages from reaching your main inbox, giving you the ability to keep your email organized with messages that are actually useful.

Distribute Phishing Assessments:

A phishing attempt is one of the most common and devastating attacks that one can endure. If you get an email that looks suspicious with a clickbait action, then chances are that is are that is a malicious phishing attempt. This is a randomized simulation that employees will have the ability to mark as “phishing.” This will expose network users to real-life phishing scenarios, conditioning them to keep them away from your inbox.

Install Antivirus Software:

Antivirus software gives you the ability to scan your entire inbox for viruses. This is a multi-layered source of protection that automatically detects virus symptoms. Incoming messages will be scanned through a virus detection program. If any threats are identified, then you will receive an automatic alert that pinpoints where that specific virus lives. You’ll get the upper hand as a result and will be able to take any necessary action to remove the virus from your network.

Mitigate Lateral Movements:

Minimize the use of a Local Area Network (LAN). Networks are usually most vulnerable when they are accessed in remote locations. If ransomware grips onto the network, then this can spread like wildfire. Most LAN-structured networks are easier to compromise from endpoint to endpoint so it’s important to only allow its use to a select few people.

Create A Data Recovery Strategy:

Backup and disaster recovery are the two of the most critical components to any good cybersecurity program. If you do fall victim to a cyber attack, then it’s important to have a good backup strategy in place. It’s best to have the extra support from an offsite data center. This gives you another safe place to store duplicate copies of your most important files. Additionally, it’s also wise to have a cloud storage solution equipped in your arsenal. This will be helpful if you lose grip on your network, because administrators will be able to quickly recover your data by logging into the cloud.

Practice Business Continuity:

If your disaster recovery plan doesn’t work so smoothly then make sure you have a safe business continuity plan to rely on. This will give you a chance to evaluate the landscape of the attack and adjust business objectives. As a result, you’ll be given the chance to get your business back up to speed once the dust settles following a disaster. Effective business continuity programming gives you the opportunity to recover any existing aspects of the business process that was impacted.